'United turn youth players into superstars'
Diogo Dalot has praised Manchester United's Academy for consistently producing talent capable of making a splash in the first team.
Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have made huge impacts, of late, after winning the FA Youth Cup in 2022, while Willy Kambwala, Dan Gore and Omari Forson have also made their Premier League debuts under Erik ten Hag this season.
Ahead of Saturday's game with Fulham, Dalot paid tribute to the way the club continues to generate youngsters who can help us to achieve our aims.
"This is all about bringing together the young talents coming through the Academy," he told United Review, the official matchday programme. "Arriving into the first team and then showing the world that this is the club for bringing players from the youth places and becoming superstars.
"Obviously, there are not many, you know, that get to play for this club. It's only a few that can go through all those stages in the life here. But we know there's always a graduate player from the Academy on the matchsheet in every game, so that's just a fantastic stat."
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The Portugal international feels the run of homegrown players in the matchday squad is likely to continue for some time to come, particularly as there are even more youthful members of the squad working hard to impress in training, when handed the opportunity.
"Obviously, with the way we've got the young players here, sometimes you have the Under-18s and the Under-21s coming to the first team and training with us," he added. "And you can see already the talent that they have. So I'm pretty sure, that in the future years, some players will come up."
When it comes to the impact the teenagers have made, Dalot shares the excitement and enthusiasm of the supporters when acknowledging what they have brought to Erik's side.
"It's great to see," he said. "They know how hard it is to get into the first team. If they have, first, the quality and then the personality as well, they are good people to stay here and be with us.
"I mean it's a perfect combination, trying to mix a little bit a lot of the experience with young energy; fresh blood, as we call it. I mean we have all been seeing how important they have been."
Read the full interview with Diogo Dalot in Saturday's United Review, the official match programme.